Thanks to an opportunity provided by the Notre Dame London Program, Notre Dame students are staying informed of events across the pond.
On 28 October, 2011, several Notre Dame students attended a foreign policy lecture hosted by Republicans Abroad. Held at Westminister, the event was hosted by British Member of Parliament Chris Kelly. University of Cambridge Professor Brendan Simms monitored a panel comprised of Michael Doran, Christopher Ford, Douglas Murray, and Emily Walker, all of whom are considered experts in their respective fields.
Laying the framework for the panel, Simms categorized foreign policy into three general arenas, regional, transnational, and internal issues. Panelists then offered their expertise and answered questions on both present and future foreign policy.
Walker, CEO of Landis & Co. and member of the US Department of Homeland Security Private Sector Senior Advisory Committee, emphasized the “global connectivity of homeland security.” Walker explained that the September 11 terrorist attacks demonstrated the need for better cooperation both internally and externally.
She also commented upon the necessity of “involving (the) private sector in the process of homeland security.” “Eighty-five percent of our infrastructure,” she remarked, “is owned or operated by the private sector.” Thus, in times of crises, considering and involving the private sector is essential, an aspect which she said is often ignored by the Obama administration.
Ford, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, drew upon his experiences as a former U.S. special representative for nuclear nonproliferation and principal deputy assistant secretary of state to discuss a variety of issues. He emphasized that while the economy is currently the dominant issue, the next United States president will be challenged by a complex assortment of foreign policy issues. “Who as a human being do you want in the Oval Office when we confront Iran?” Ford asked.
Doran, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former senior director at the National Security Council and deputy assistant secretary of defense, spoke most specifically on the current situation in the Middle East.
Doran explained that the Arab Spring has increased tension and complicated U.S. policy toward said region. “I don’t know how closely reliable they can be in the future,” he commented, citing Egypt as example of regional change.
U.S. policy is further complicated by the current situations in Afghanistan and Iraq. There is “growing sense that that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable,” Doran said. And yet, “running for the exits,” as Doran describes the president’s policy, is not the best option. Furthermore, the United States, Doran explains, has “subcontracted our position on Syria to Turkey.” The consequence of said policies is that “among our allies, the U.S. looks really weak.”
Such weakness is especially problematic given other problems in the region. “Pakistan is at the center of our counter-terrorism problem,” Doran argued. And yet, perhaps even more worrisome is that Iran is on the “verge of becoming a nuclear power.” “Feeling deeply pressured by the Arab Spring,” Iran, Doran stated, is displaying a dangerous paradoxical attitude of “complete insecurity and total lack of fear.”
Doran also answered questions concerning China’s growth and subsequently, increasing influence. Answers to these questions, Doran explains, hinge on a larger question, “Is China a bubble?”
Murray, best-selling author and associate director of the Henry Jackson Society, agreed on the danger posed by Iran, stating that the “single most important objective…is to isolate Iran.” He also addressed a broader issue, the general state of not only U.S. foreign policy, but of the United States in general.
Murray noted general change in outlook among Americans, asserting the “sheer generational difference between Kissinger and one that is now coming to power.” While not necessarily a negative, this change may be related to what appears to be a common theme in foreign policy discussions, the “motif of American decline.”
Is America declining? Do you believe that China is a bubble? How should the next President confront Iran? Should he confront Iran? Will President Obama be the man to do so? Scott Englert would be happy to hear your thoughts. Contact him via email at senglert@nd.edu. From London, England, Cheers!
